'Forgot to take medicine, depressed': Azam ridicules anti-MACC protesters

 

Outgoing MACC chief commissioner Azam Baki has questioned motives behind the organising of protests against the anti-graft agency, dismissing such displays from “problematic” individuals seeking to serve their self-interests.

Azam, whose contract is due to expire tomorrow, asserted in a seemingly disparaging manner that those who hold demonstrations outside the MACC’s headquarters in Putrajaya are plagued by “problems” of their own, whether in the form of “emotional” issues or legal matters.

“They are all problematic people - all kinds of problems. It might be the kind of problem where they are being investigated, or an emotional problem, (and) they think the best target is the MACC.

“Some have been charged in court, (but) they choose to gather in front of our office - maybe they are hoping for sympathy so that their case will be withdrawn,” he theorised during a podcast session which aired today.

Urging the public to judge such acts for themselves, he suggested that those involved in the protests had “forgotten to take their medicine,” leading to them feeling “depressed by themselves.”

Influencing public perception

Earlier in the episode, hosted by the graft buster’s strategic communications division director, Hisyam Yusoff, Azam was asked for his thoughts on those who had supposedly attempted to “destabilise” the MACC by issuing criticisms, holding protests, and filing police reports.

In response, Azam emphasised that since such critics are typically dealing with their own problems, most of which are “related to issues” being probed by the MACC, they are merely seeking to influence public perception against the existing enforcement systems.

“If you, the public, want to believe them, go ahead. I will remain here, and my officers remain steadfast in carrying out their duties. I have prepared my officers to ignore all sorts of wild allegations.”

He also claimed that there was “low traction” for one of the gatherings outside the MACC’s headquarters, saying: “I thought that there would be around 30,000 (participants), but there were only 30 - and a majority of them were media and police personnel.”

While Azam did not direct his comments at any rally in particular, some 50 protesters led by businessperson Albert Tei had on Feb 27 gathered outside the anti-graft agency’s headquarters to call for Azam’s arrest.

The protest featured various speakers who highlighted allegations against Azam and the MACC, as previously reported by Bloomberg, which has since been hit by an RM100 million defamation lawsuit initiated by Azam.

Tei, who exposed the Sabah mining corruption scandal in 2024, was charged in December last year with providing bribes to Shamsul Iskandar Akin, a former aide to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

A “Tangkap Azam Baki” rally was also held in the city centre last month, with around 1,000 participants - including former PKR deputy president Rafizi Ramli - gathering despite unfavourable conditions.

Not recognising MACC’s good performance

Azam today said that while the MACC has managed to establish itself as an enforcement agency that is “respected” worldwide, some members of the public refuse to acknowledge the commission’s good performance.

Highlighting that MACC had managed to secure ties with countries which considered themselves “top class” and were selective in who they opted to sign agreements with, Azam also credited “political will” as a vital aspect of MACC’s ability to carry out their duties effectively.

“It’s fine if our successes are not recognised, but don’t badmouth us because evidence, such as reports in mainstream media, shows proof of the MACC’s courage in handling cases,” he said.

Despite the brickbats thrown MACC’s way by certain quarters, Azam insisted that in terms of public support, the graft busters are “doing well,” noting that his “random encounters” with the people showed that some do not have hidden agendas and are not "intentionally making up stories.”

“Most of them, especially from the public sector and also business friends, seem to support our actions over the last three years until now - this is because we managed to fulfil the public demand first,” he said.

Acknowledging that the public will always judge the MACC, Azam said he has trained his officers to regard such criticisms as an “indicator” of what issues require improvement.

“We cannot stop perceptions - in the past, we were called all sorts of things, labelled as a silent movie and so on, silent actor, Chinese opera, scarecrow, all sorts of things.

“Of course, we like juicy things - we like hearing people praise us, but remember these praises are sometimes cosmetic. (Instead), look at the negative ones, those that can help build us up - look at them positively,” he added.

What’s next?

Reflecting on his time with the MACC, Azam said a matter which has consistently caused him stress is the issue of “what comes next” for the commission, explaining: “We’ve arrested top officers, we’ve arrested politicians.”

“Who are we going to arrest next? That’s what the people are demanding to know. We can’t say ‘that’s enough for the year, we want to rest now’.

“We are being paid by taxpayers, that is our duty to carry out as well as the responsibility and trust that we must fulfil,” he said.

Azam had previously received three contract extensions, with Anwar justifying it as necessary due to the former’s purported bravery against corruption.

Earlier this year, he was embroiled in yet another scandal in which he bought shares in excess of public service rules, with any potential disciplinary action to be determined by Chief Secretary to the Government Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar following a probe.

The probe’s findings are being withheld pending the conclusion of another investigation into purported collusion between MACC and the so-called “corporate mafia”. - Mkini